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Adopting business model for mHealth service

Staff Correspondent
HEALTH also called mobile health is a novel approach that uses mobile technologies such as mobile phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to deliver health services and information. The mobile revolution in Bangladesh has created enormous opportunity to implement mhealth to transform the way healthcare is delivered in the country.
With a view to identifying the diverse ways mobile devices are being used for health services round the world and their effectiveness, and creating successful
business models for that in the context of Bangladesh, The Daily Star Leadership Colloquium on 'ICT in Healthcare' held the session entitied "Business model for mHealth” yesterday at The Daily Star Centre.
Dr Ananya Raihan, the Executive Director of D.Net (Development Research Network) was present as keynote speaker while Professor Syed Ferhat Anwar of the Institute of Business Administrating (IBA), Dhaka University chaired the session.
In his speech Dr Raihan demonstrated a model of ongoing project on mHealth in Bangladesh and projected the ways to create business models to implement mHealth solutions that fit in our local context.
In the first part of his speech he showed the key features and prime model of an ongoing project called MAMA (Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action) that delivers related information to pregnant mothers and their family members through voice and text message every week of pregnancy. The project is currently being implemented in four districts of Bangladesh on a pilot basis and shows certain chal-
lenges and lots of potential to provide health information in better and easier ways.
In the second part he explored the ways to implement business model for mHealth solutions. He revealed four key elements of the model — business case, affordability and use of technology and its regulation. He stated that affordability is a major issue in Bangladesh where about 31 percent population lives below poverty line. He showed certain ways — Consumer pay, Ad revenue, Cross-promotion, Association for goodwill, Association for common cause — for revenue generation and cost reduction to make mHealth solutions accessible for all.
He said that though many target populations are poor, most of them do not believe or want service free of cost. Many consumers are willing to pay at least something that would be little or do not cover the breakeven cost. In order to cover the breakeven cost, additional revenue can be generated from advertisement that is very successful in South Africa. Cross-promotion is another innovative issue that has tremendous potential in Bangladesh to get revenue successfully. It is a win-win strategy between provider and consumer. He set two examples on this cross-
promoting like buying products from targeted farmer group and encourage them to use buyer's product, and use doctors network to deliver health services by helping in their professional work.
He also talked about corporate social philanthropy and raise fund for providing services at minimum cost.
He addressed the challenges of using technology that might be costiy enough to implement to deliver healthcare and suggested using available technology, open source and IP based options rather buying cosdy things.
He highlighted another important issue-proper regulation of telecommunication in terms of revenue sharing, services delivery at reduced price that is currendy a hazy field in Bangladesh. He also emphasized on building partnership or coordination to implement mHealth successfully and creating strong linkage with the mHealth solutions to bring people from home to hospital.
At the end of the presentation, participants including doctors, IT experts, public health professionals, students and others took part in an interactive question answer session and also shared their experience and ideas.
Prof Anwar concluded the session with vote of thanks.